Beneath the Waters
by amy1oM
Summary: Raines remembers, mourns, and seeks revenge. Spoilers for Season 1's THE DRAGON HOUSE and Season 3's ONCE IN A BLUE MOON


**Spoilers:** Contains spoilers for Season 1 finale "The Dragon House" and Season 3's "Once In a Blue Moon".

**Author's Note:** I thought never to write a fanfic focusing on this character but for once he wouldn't shut up when I told him to! The following fic is my effort to possibly explain a few things from his POV as well as to get this character to SHUT UP!

"Beneath the Waters" is a song found on the album of Celtic singer ENYA where it is called in the Irish Gaelic "Dan y Dwr". I'm using the English translation of the song here.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Pretender OR BENEATH THE WATERS - made no money off this so please SUE ME not!!!

* * * * *

_Beneath the waters, there is silence._

_Beneath the waters, I call you._

_There is no company with me._

Raines was furious . . .

Before he could return to oversee Kyle's operation, an alarm had sounded causing general chaos to erupt in the Centre. The sweepers scrambled to a location of an opening of the air vents thinking Kyle and whoever helped free him had escaped that way. When Miss Parker closed in, all she found was Angelo grinning like a Cheshire cat, and though he would never be able to be sure, the empath had purposely helped Jarod free his brother.

Raines was quite sure it was Jarod who had freed Kyle from that room, even before he talked to the doctor in the infirmary about who had attacked him. The doctor did confirm that Jarod was in the room but it was Kyle who had attacked him. Kyle was definitely too violent and he knew too much for his own good. They would have to find a way to terminate him once he was located and if Jarod interfered, so much the better.

Raines was on his way now to a meeting with Mr. Parker. Willie and several sweepers following him just in case the two escaped Pretenders were still inside the Centre. Raines knew they were probably long gone but it didn't hurt to be overly cautious considering Kyle's violent tendencies and his hatred for Raines.

"I want my Daddy!"

Raines stop at the sound of the voice of a child yelling out. He turned to see a little girl of about 5 years old struggling with her caregiver's grasp, obviously trying to get away. The girl finally got free of the adult's grasp and began to run in his direction. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Mr. Raines standing there; looking for everything in the world like death warmed over. At that moment the girl's attendant caught up to her. When Raines failed to scold the person, Willie decided that it was his place to do so.

"I suggest you do a better job of taking care of her. Mr. Raines. . ."

But Raines bearly heard what Willie was saying as he walked off.

A sweet voice of innocence that had died a long echoed through his mind as seeing that little girl caused bittersweet, painful memories to stir inside of him . . .

Annie. . .

It had been a long time since he even allowed himself to remember her name much less had allowed himself to remember that he once had a daughter he had loved more than anything he'd ever thought possible.

_Daddy, I love you . . ._

She had said that often when she was little, when he'd come home from work to spend time with her. His heart hadn't been so dark then, so fascinated with the morbid. But then again, the Centre hadn't been that all of a dark place either. They had still helped more people than they had hurt back then.

_I love you too, Princess . . ._

It wasn't until after she was born that he was even sure he wanted to be a father. But when he held his newborn daughter in his arms for the first time, he knew he was meant to be her father and that he'd do anything to protect her.

But he had failed to do that. He had failed to protect his little girl when she needed him the most when she was taken right from her bedroom. He failed her at a time in life when she should have been getting ready for her prom and for college. Annie had wanted to study art after she finished high school. His little girl was a gifted artist and she would have had a wonderful career aboard if she'd only been given the chance.

_No, I didn't fail her. Jarod failed her! He was the one who refused to find her! _Raines thought harshly. _Sydney was always too soft, always giving in to him and when we needed Jarod's abilities the most to find my daughter, he wouldn't do as he was told._

"Mr. Raines? Sir, are you all right?" Willie's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" he wheezed shooting the sweeper a venomous look.

"Sir, are you all right? Mr. Parker is waiting for-"

"Mind your own business, Willie," Raines snapped before he started to walk again.

* * * * *

_Later in Boston_

Raines waited at the end of one of the alleys as the sweeper teams spread out. They surrounded the café where Jarod was supposed to be meeting with members of his family. He had given the order that they were to take Jarod no matter what happened. Also they were to grab whatever members of his long lost family showed up. After they had Jarod's family, the wayward Pretender would be clay in their hands, as he would have to do whatever they wanted to keep his family safe.

After Jarod was safely back in the Centre, Raines planned on demanding that the Triumvirate turn the Pretender over to him and not give him back to Sydney. They'd lost precious time on several projects because of Jarod's escape. Many of their clients had withdrawn their business due to the unsatisfactory results they'd been receiving. He would see to it that their losses were recovered in a short amount of time and then he'd be free to use Jarod for his own purposes.

Within moments of Jarod's arrival at the café, the sweepers moved in to capture him and his family. But something went wrong as Miss Parker had shown up along with Sydney and Broots. Jarod had seen Sydney before the sweepers could get close enough to his mother and sister. The result was Jarod had been able to warn them away before it was too late.

For the second time in two days, Raines was furious.

Jarod ran down the alley where Raines awaited him.

"Hello, Jarod," he said as Jarod stopped at the sight of him. Raines noted that Jarod had gotten a gun from someone, probably one of the sweepers he'd managed to knock down. Jarod walked towards him with the gun pointed at his face.

"You stole me from my parents. You had the FBI kill my brother and now you're trying to kill my family. What have I EVER done to you?" Jarod yelled.

Raines stared back at him coldly. "You exist."

Jarod now stood at point blank range and if he decided to shoot Raines, there would be no way he would survive it. For what seemed an eternity, they stared into each other's eyes. Raines sent pure hatred and contempt through his gaze with Jarod.

"No, I'm not going to let you do to me what you did to my brother. You….leave me….alone!" Jarod yelled, taking off for the opposite end of the alley. For a second he watched at the Pretender ran and then Raines pulled out a gun and aimed it for Jarod's back. He had orders to bring Jarod back one way or the other, alive preferably but the Triumvirate would accept Jarod's dead body for study if he told them that he had no choice.

~For you, Annie.~ he thought, as he began to pull the trigger.

But then he stopped as he heard a shot and then his oxygen tank exploded, setting him on fire. Willie was the first of the sweepers to arrive and he was also the first one to get the fire on Raines put out. Raines yelled from the agony of the fire.

"I'm sorry. . ." he muttered and Willie looked up at Miss Parker.

"He's delirious from the pain," Sydney stated.

"You won't see me crying over his little discomfort. Come on, let's find Broots and get back to the Centre," Miss Parker said.

"I'm sorry, Annie. . ."

_Beneath the waters, silent forever._

_Beneath the waters, I call you._

_The sound is no longer with me._


End file.
